At the end of some IEP meetings, signing the IEP may feel like you’re doing your child a disservice. Maybe you felt like your thoughts and opinions were ignored. Maybe the goals just are nonspecific or unquantifiable and the IEP team moved on in spite of your protests. Maybe your child should be getting more services than they were allotted. A lot of families have been in this situation and signing the IEP at the end of a meeting is not required if you do not approve of its contents. However, if you do not sign an IEP, your child’s school district and IEP team cannot implement any part of the contract. Even the parts you may agree with.
When signing the IEP in California, a family is given three options.
Option 1: Agree to the IEP in its entirety and allow the team to start implementing everything as it is currently written.
Option 2: Agree to the IEP with exception. This means you agree to the IEP except for the sections or specific items that you’ll list out.
Option 3: Disagree with the entire IEP and you do not give consent for the school team to implement.
Let’s discuss the three options in further detail and what consequences come with each decision.
Option 1: You agree to the IEP in its entirety and allow the team to start implementing everything as it is currently written. As advocates, this is our primary goal when we attend IEP team meetings! If this is your choice, it generally means you were an active participant in the meeting and the IEP document presented will meet all of your child’s needs. You may be tempted into signing the IEP at the end of the meeting, especially if it went well, but always ask for a final draft of the IEP that includes any changes and notes that may have come up in the meeting. This is insurance that when the team stated they would add an accommodation, it is formally implemented instead of accidentally forgotten. Once you have reviewed the final draft document and everything looks right, sign the IEP! Always remember that if something comes up, you can call an IEP meeting as necessary.
Option 2: You can agree to the IEP with exception . This is typically done when an entire IEP is reviewed and the team cannot agree on particular details. When this happens, it is important to collaborate with your child’s school district, but unfortunately there may be times when this is impossible. Ask for a final draft copy of the IEP that includes everything that was discussed and agreed upon in the meeting. After reviewing the IEP, you will sign with exception and take the time to write out the parts of the IEP that you do not agree with and that the team cannot start working on with your child. For example, you could sign with exception to the services and placement for your child. This may be something that happens when the school is proposing to move your child to a different program that may be less inclusive. When you sign with exception, the IEP section that you do not agree with is called a “stay put” and the school will only be able to implement what the last signed and agreed upon IEP was. Typically this is your child’s previous annual IEP.
Option 3: You sign disagreeing to the entire IEP and do not give consent for any part of the IEP to be implemented. This is an incredibly rare occurrence. In most cases, a family will sign an IEP with exception, but sometimes there are IEP drafts that would do more harm than good. When signing this way, the IEP will once again be at “stay put” and the team can only follow and implement the most recently signed and agreed upon IEP. If this is how you are choosing to sign the IEP, there are likely larger problems with the IEP and the IEP team. At that point, you may want to consult a special education advocate from Aspire Advocacy to obtain an IEP that helps your child obtain the free, appropriate, public education to which they are entitled.
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As parents, we understand. As advocates, we can help.